华盛顿（2022年5月20日） - 今天下午，副总统卡马拉·哈里斯（Kamala Harris）将加入美国环境保护署（EPA）管理员迈克尔·里根（Michael Regan）发起新的Clean School Bus Programto begin electrifying America’s school bus fleet. EPA released计划指导and officially opened the funding program’sapplication portal.

该计划由两党基础设施​​法创建，在接下来的五年中提供了历史悠久的50亿美元资金，以帮助学区用电动或替代燃料巴士代替现有的校车，为美国各地的儿童和社区提供更清洁的空气

The first round of the Clean School Bus Program funding will be awarded as lottery rebates, witheligible applicantsinvited to apply any time between May 20 and August 19. The lottery will prioritize applications frompriority districts, those submitted by low-income, rural, tribal, and/or high-needs school districts.

Toxic emissions from diesel school buses are危险的for children, bus drivers and other school staff and increase the risk of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Electric school buses, in addition to being safe and reliable with zero tailpipe emissions, are a highly visible and widely used mode of transportation that can help bring about a tipping point for electrifying vehicles in the medium-and-heavy-duty space and normalize electric mobility for an entire generation.

以下是政府事务高级经理詹妮弗·伦尼克斯（Jennifer Rennicks）的声明WRI的电动校车计划:

“The EPA’s Clean School Bus Program is an unprecedented and critical step in giving every child in the United States the opportunity to get to school without breathing in harmful exhaust. We cannot leave children behind in a fossil fuel-powered world, especially given the disproportionate effects that air pollution has on underserved and disadvantaged communities.

“哈里斯副总统在这个问题上的长期承诺是她努力的非凡证明，该政府追求帮助学校和社区加入过渡到充满电气的未来。WRI表示赞赏EPA决定优先考虑服务不足地区的资金。WRI期待与EPA合作，继续加强和改进该计划以供将来的资金。

“This program is a critical step for the United States to address climate change, protect public health and reduce inequities in our transportation system. There is also a need for additional, continued funding for the Clean School Bus Program beyond the down payment made through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and WRI is supportive of an Appropriations request being led by Senators Padilla and Warnock and Representatives Cardenas and Hayes and supported by more than 80 of their colleagues to provide at least $300 million in additional funding in FY 2023 for the Clean School Bus Program.

“Congress should complement this program by passing a robust climate and clean energy-focused budget package to unlock billions more in necessary funding for electrifying cars, trucks and buses — to realize cost savings from electric vehicles, create good-paying jobs and tackle America’s biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.”

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